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Panic in Madagascar as bubonic, pneumonic plague death toll rises

Panic in Madagascar as bubonic, pneumonic plague death toll rises | 05 Oct 2017 | (Antananarivo) An outbreak of highly contagious plague has claimed 30 lives in the impoverished Indian Ocean island nation of Madagascar over the last two months, authorities said Wednesday. "We have recorded 194 suspected cases of plague, including 30 deaths," health official Manitra Rakotoarivony said in a statement, updating the death toll from 25. The outbreak combines bubonic plague, which is spread by infected rats via flea bites, and pneumonic plague, spread from person to person.